Txori

05/15/2008 Posted by amagnano

I have been to Txori twice for dinner, and enjoyed it immensely both times. San Sebastien was my favorite city in Spain--mostly because you could go to a small bar with a counter loaded with pintxos, and pick up one pintxo (bread with octopus, potato, tortilla, etc.) for one euro. If it wasn't your favorite--it was only one euro. Here the pinxtos are slightly more expensive, but I think that the other reviewers' aversion to the Txori experience is due to inherently american expectations of a large cohesive meal. The first dinner I had at Txori was under $100, including a great bottle of wine, and my friend and I went away having tried almost everything on the menu. I can easily think of 10 other restaurants in the area where the bill wouldn't be so forgiving. If you want a large meal--Txori might not be for you. But if you want to try 5-10 different pintxos, while swilling a great glass of spanish red for $6--this place is great. Only complaint: the service was great the first time, lackluster the second. The lag time between finishing our meal and getting the bill was at least 25 minutes, which was annoying.

03/15/2008 Posted by cristalla

Yes, the food portions were smaller than I thought. The menu took a little getting used to. But the space is just so lovely and warm and summery to me (in a simple, non-kitchy way) that I keep going back. The food keeps getting better--or I'm getting better at ordering, or both. The portions are small, but so are the prices. The service has always been great. When they get that little deck done in back, I'll probably spend most of my summer evenings back there drinking that red-wine-and-cola drink whose name escapes me every time. I love Txori.

Pros: Small tasty dishes, priced accordingly. Seemingly always open.

Cons: Tricky menu, requires courage. (Actually, that's a pro.)

03/12/2008 Posted by justin70

Nice small tapas bar in the middle of Belltown but is a little hard to find as its not well marked. The cocktails were very good and quite interesting. The tapas are enough for 1 person so don't plan to share. If you know that going in you wont be disappointed. I would also suggest not going when you need a full meal but go for snacks. The tapas were traditional and very tasty but because there was a very long wait in between plates so my group of friends couldn't get full and were dissatisfied. You have to order many plates per person so the price is deceiving and it turns out to be very expensive. I've been to Spain many times and fell in love with the ritual of going from bar to bar eating pinxtos however this isn't quite spain and so just know that its not the place to go if you are starving. The tables are also very small so you really can only have 1 plate per person on the table at a time. There just isn't the room for them to bring you a bunch of plates even if the kitchen could handle it.

Pros: Tasty Bites

01/05/2008 Posted by dmw100

Most of the complaints from earlier reviews are about the things that make Txori a truly authentic experience. If you don't want to experience a traditional San Sebastian pintxos bar, then don't go. But if you're looking to get a taste of a real pintxos bar with great food, this is it. Go to San Sebastian, and you'll discover that all the pintxos bars are tiny. Everyone stands and jostles their way up to the bar and things are chaotic - that's what makes it so fun! Txori is actually much less chaotic and crowded than a typical pintxos bar, which is probably more suited to American expectations. I love how you can eat standing at the bar, watch the chefs, and just order whatever looks good (you can't go wrong - it's all great). If you're expecting large plates, don't go. The small bites are just like what you'd find in San Sebastian. Normally, you'd go to several bars throughout the evening trying only a couple bites at each place, but we've got just one bar. Luckily Txori has plenty of options so you can assemble a meal by ordering several. As for the comments below about the "disgusting" napkins all over the floor, consider yourself lucky. If you walk into a pintxos bar in San Sebastian and there aren't napkins on the floor, you might think twice about eating there - the most popular bars have napkins everywhere on the floor because it's a Spanish tradition to toss your used napkins on the floor (try a google search for 'napkins floor pintxos'). If there are a lot of napkins on the floor, it means it's a really popular bar. I think it's great that they're not stopping diners from doing this, since it makes the experience all the more authentic. Honestly, this is the closest you'll come to an authentic pintxos bar experience without actually going to San Sebastian. If you're looking for a taste of Spain and awesome food, try Txori.

Pros: Small bites, so you can try a lot of different things

Cons: Parking in Belltown is awful

01/01/2008 Posted by nirvrock_96

Exactly that, Americans just don't get it. If you ever go to San Sebastian you will understand that the people there don't go into pinxto bars to get full, they go in there for conversation, a small beer, and thats it, nothing more. Txori is exactly that, you go in for a couple bites and a beer and then you head off to your next destination, whether dinner or back to work. I loved the food at Txori, again, i didn't expect to be full when i left, but i had the Pulpo, boilded octupus on a piece of potatoe and olive oil drizzled on top(the best octupus i have ever had), i also ate the Rabo(braised oxtail) and some bread. That food alone gave me enough energy to carry on the rest of my afternoon at work. Its a great concept and once they have their deck done in the back of the restaurant(should be in about two months the owner said), people will understand really what a basque style pinxto bar really is. Also, they certainly have the most inviting staff that i have ever seen. When we left everyone who worked their said goodbye and thanks, pretty impressive especially in Seattle.

Pros: Bites range from $1.5-$6, great cocktails, cheap wine($4 a glass)

Cons: small tables

12/30/2007 Posted by hyzenthlay

Let me start off by saying that Txori isn't bad. The food is exactly as promised - true Spanish tapas, rather than the "small plates" we Americans are so used to. You are really only getting a bite or two with each dish. They advertise exactly what they serve, so don't be surprised (or outranged) at the tiny, tiny portions. That's the point. Some of the tapas are amazing. AMAZING. There's a braised oxtail that my entire table devoured, and the veal meatballs are out of this world, with a complex and well-balanced sherry sauce. The service was nothing short of stellar. Every single person in that restaurant (with a particular nod to the hostess, who was a champ at arranging people) pitched in and helped out through the rush. Each member of the staff was personable, friendly, and knowledgeable. They gamely humored my foodie friends when we ordered one of everything on the menu. The majority of the tapas were merely good; still too experimental to be excellent. Some were simply bad. The chorizo with chocolate didn't work at all - the flavors were too disparate to mix without tasting a bit - well, like spicy sausage in chocolate (even unsweetened chocolate). The tuna with caviar is a good idea, but it's lacking something - we suggested some variant of creme freche. Since I'm coming from the unique standpoint of having ordered and tried everything on their menu, I can say that Txori has promise. Don't go if you're super hungry or expecting an Americanized small plate experience. Let Txori have a month to find its legs, and then make the trip.

Pros: Phenomenal service, good potential

Cons: Few amazing bites, rest mostly adequate

12/30/2007 Posted by kmoskowicz

A visit to Txori is like a quick getaway to San Sebastian. The menu is great and filled with fun, delicious small plates. You need to order alot of food to make a meal and it's not cheap but it's a fun place to escape for a few hours. The space is very small and I'm sure it will be bard to get a table once the word is out.

12/30/2007 Posted by aasea

I guess we went in with high expectations of this place, cosnidering that the name and menu seemed exotic and the location being Belltown. Disappointment stepped in at the doorstop. The place is probably 1/4th the size of a an average 7/11. It is very narrow with a bunch of bar stools and some small tables jammed in. If you are hoping for ambience, you will be sorely disappointed - there is none. We could not get to our table without bumping into other folks who were trying to get out of the place. The staff is pretty friendly and that was one plus point - the exotic small plates seemed very appetizing. Couple of them were pretty decent but nothing which will bring me back to the place. If you are vegetarian, make sure you have a booking in another restaurant following this stop. The tapas/small plates are really small - a single square inch of toasted bread with a tiny piece of fish or meat on top. We had at least 4 of these but they did not make a dent in our appetite. A major con is that there were paper napkins trashed, lying all over the floor near the dining tables. The staff did not seem bothered by those and no one was cleaning them up. It was pretty disgusting to see trash below the tables. Overall, I don't recommend this place at all unless you have some time to pass before your reservation in a real restaurant nearby. The only reason I give it 2 stars is because of some originality in their tapas and nothing else. Good luck!

Pros: Not many

Cons: Quite a few

12/21/2007 Posted by s_nelli

I guess the point is that they have a great selection. I was not impressed the first time but I have been there several times and I agree that the tapas are good and authentic.

Pros: small portion

Cons: nice presentation

12/19/2007 Posted by creatingsmiles

I have never been to Spain, but I love the concept that Txori has. Great food in small bites so that you can give everything a try. I went to Txori with my boyfriend and we could not stop ordering. The staff was very attentive and was ready to take your order when you want more. Not only was the food presented well but it tasted fabulous as well. They have some fun cocktail drinks as well as a great wine list. Great atmosphere, great food, and great service all at a great price. What else can you ask for?